Apple Aware of iOS4 Problems on iPhone 3G
By Ed Oswald | Thursday, July 29, 2010 at 12:28 pm
If you own an iPhone 3G and find iOS4 has slowed down your device considerably, you’re not alone. Apple’s support forums are littered with complaints, and the Wall Street Journal says that Apple is looking into the issue. In addition, it’s been reported that battery life has degraded and the phone has become hot to the touch.
It’s not clear why the phone may be heating up — then again, one could venture a guess that iOS4 may be taxing the phone a bit more that its predecessor. Any one with a iPhone 3G and iOS4 — are you seeing these problems?
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July 29th, 2010 at 5:40 am
I only have a 3G touch but I don't seem to have new problems with OS4.
July 29th, 2010 at 5:55 am
Apparently you can fix the slowdown by resetting your phone. Hold down both Sleep/Wake and the Home button for about 10 seconds until you see the Apple logo.
July 29th, 2010 at 7:44 pm
My 3G with iOS 4 was "somewhat" slow. As in molasses at the south pole. iOS 4.0.1 brought the speed back up to within shouting distance of what it was with 3.x. (I might not have noticed the difference, and the intermediate phase not been there).
I haven't noticed a battery problem, but it would make sense, if the processor is working harder for some reason.
July 29th, 2010 at 8:20 pm
My phone has slowed to a crawl, and I'm recharged my battery twice daily.
July 29th, 2010 at 9:42 pm
Yes, it's slow, and certain things have gotten wonkier. The Wi-Fi radio is practically non-existent in my house (it can't find the network unless you're practically on top of the router), which doesn't happen with the iPad and iPod Touches that we have. I haven't noticed the heat issue, the slowness prevents me from using the phone as much as I normally do (also, i have the iPod Touch and iPad for app access if I need it).
July 29th, 2010 at 9:51 pm
Not noticed any wireless issues but the phone definitely runs slower with 4.0 compared with version 3. Also battery life is noticeably worse. It currently needs a restart every couple of days to keep it running at a decent speed.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:29 pm
My iphone 3G is much slower and sluggish since 4.0 upgrade. I use the FreeMemory app and notice there is much less free RAM under 4.0 which I figure is why it's slowed down so much. My battery life is much lower now also. And I am also getting a much weaker WiFi connection.
July 30th, 2010 at 2:12 pm
Even the "slide to unlock" feature now needs 4-5 beats before responding.
July 30th, 2010 at 9:29 pm
My 3G has crashed out of several apps for the first time ever since I upgraded to 4.0 and 4.0.1. I have also noticed the back heating up. And talk about slow…what a disappointment. Roll on 4.0.2 (that works please)
August 4th, 2010 at 7:31 pm
I have a 3G. I have had noticeably similar symptoms with it since upgrading to 4.0 (and now 4.0.1). Symptoms: Considerably slower at responding to just about all apps and functions, battery drains in just 2 or 3 hours even when locked and unused, phone noticeably warm on back as if it is running something, quite a bit of crashing of apps. I am not using it any differently than before 4.0. I know of no way to check what is going on in the background. I love my iphone but this really is happening. Can't swing the iphone4 this month. I hope there is a remedy soon.
August 5th, 2010 at 7:07 am
My 3G has become essentially worthless since the 4.0 upgrade. The battery will be very high–say, 90%–then I'll take it out of my pocket two hours later (having not used it since) and the battery is TOTALLY drained, such that the screen won't even turn on. What's odd is that I only use my iPhone 3G as an ipod (3G, Data, Roaming, Int assist, etc. is all off–I'm abroad with the military) on wifi.
SO THE PROBLEM HERE IS NOT WITH 3G!
I too have noticed the unit becoming hot to the touch, even when I'm not using it. The battery drain is so extensive, random, and complete that my unit is totally unreliable now. I have tried a complete reset (erase, reinstall, etc.) to no avail.
I've noticed some slow-down in running apps as well, but the batter issue is the truly important thing here.
August 7th, 2010 at 11:49 am
Apple REALLY dropped the ball on this one. They should have warned 3G users not to upgrade to OS4. The OS4 update killed my iPhone 3G. It’s so sluggish now that I don’t even use it for anything other than making phone calls, which kind of defeats the purpose of having such a phone in the first place, no? Texting is frustrating because the keyboard is slow and unresponsive at times, refusing to register keystrokes for several seconds, and then all of a sudden I get a burst of characters at once, full of typos, of course, because I can’t see what I’m typing as I go. Awful! Apps take forever to load, and then crash often. EVERYTHING has a delay, from simply turning the stupid thing on to loading e-mail to navigating contacts, you name it, it’s sluggish. I’m at the end of my contract and eligible for an upgrade, and I’d like to upgrade to the iPhone 4, but of course I want a white one and they’re not available and there’s no release date in sight! Thanks Apple!!!! I’m about to throw this 3G out the window, and then what? So frustrating!!! Ugh!!!! Thanks a lot, Steve Jobs!
August 8th, 2010 at 1:12 pm
Ditto all comments above: dog slow, numerous daily reboots required (just like Windows Vista, which Apple vilified in TV ads . . . ), roughly half the battery life, some apps (eg Facebook) are buggy and subject to crashes, the iOS map app — a primary reason I bought an iphone — is so slow it's almost useless. Worse, I used to be able to make a phone call with one bar, but now it requires three! one or two bars works for data (SLOWLY), but not voice. WFTO? And I hear you lose all your purchased apps if you do a System Restore because Apple requires "phone home" authorization for app restore and won't authorize restoration to an earlier OS. This means if you EVER synced your iPhone to iTunes AFTER installing iOS4, you're hosed. Does anyone see a solution forthcoming? I thought once I got rid of Vista I'd seen the end of this sort of stupidity.
August 8th, 2010 at 4:16 pm
It has been terrible since I dowloaded the iOS4….Apple is making life hell for its customers……
August 9th, 2010 at 2:02 pm
I cannot even use Safari or any apps that need an internet connection. My iphone is practically useless!!!
August 10th, 2010 at 1:37 pm
Opening the text app or the phone is unbelievably SLOW. Some apps won't even open at all anymore. My phone also heats up on the back now to the point where it concerns me. I have to wonder if it's going to short circuit itself. Apple needs a roll back of our software or a fix for the iOS4 problem ASAP. People are going to start defecting to android phones.
August 10th, 2010 at 1:46 pm
Ditto here. Phone is way too slow; battery drains so quickly it's like having a non-cordless phone (remember those?). If I can't be tethered to an electrical outlet, the device is useless. Went into Apple Store locally to get help and was treated extremely badly. Once a HUGE fan of Apple and the iPhone, I'm now wondering whether I'll have to look for another product. I am shocked that Apple has done this to its 3** iPhone users.
August 11th, 2010 at 4:44 pm
I’m finding the slowness very, very frustrating. My bluetooth headset I use in my car takes miles before it pars with my iPhone. Many of the apps I use including apple apps abort and return to the home screen. Also I found the AT&T network in my area is not as strong as possible and I can watch my signal change from a standard signal to 3G without moving.
I’ll be eligible for a new phone soon but I hesitate getting the iPhone 4 due to its problems and the rumors a Verizon iPhone may be available in 2011. I sure don’t want AT&T (and maybe an iPhone) unless the issues surrounding IOS4, the apps and the iPhone can be resolved.
It appears Apple is trying to force users to the new iPhone 4. Given the latest circumstances but maybe it’s time to evaluate the competition.
August 13th, 2010 at 8:20 am
I have all the problems: slowness (30 seconds to bring up the keyboard in the App Store application, plus another 30 for the kayboard to become responsive), bad internet connectivity, you name it.
I can’t afford to change phones right now, but one thing is for sure: NEVER AGAIN! Apple will not get a single penny from me ever again!
All my life I’ve been told that the huge price premium Apple charges on everything gave you excellent hardware in exchange: well, now that I can see what Apple fanboys consider excellent, they can go suck a lemon.
August 17th, 2010 at 1:45 pm
i have a iPhone 3G and updated to OS 4.0.2 now the battery life is less than 1 hour. If you have a 3G do not upgrade.
August 30th, 2010 at 8:30 am
I have an iPhone 3G
My iPhone has basically gone from a 2day charge to 4hours.
My iPhone now heats my butt (back pocket)
My iPhone is slowwwwwww
This is not a good thing and needs to be resolved.
September 1st, 2010 at 8:25 am
hopeless iOS4. i can't get full combo on tap tap revenge anymore as it's sooooooo laggy. STEVE JOBS! IT'S NOW YOUR JOB TO SOLVE THIS BIG PROBLEM! I have no choice but to jailbreak my phone as it's way toooooo slow for normal task.
September 6th, 2010 at 10:41 pm
I am so glad is not just me! Forget using wifi radio, half my apps will just shut down all willy nilly, and it takes literally three minutes to get my texts to open. My note pad no longer saves my notes (which is particularly bothersome since I am nine months pregnant and have been using note pad to document my contractions) and half the time i can't even answer a call because it does not recognize when i try to slide to answer! Seriously this is crap-oh-la!
November 8th, 2010 at 11:28 pm
Same as all the above. Phone crashes constantly, can't get on my wi-fi, and the apps are noticeably slower. Is there any remedy through Apple?
November 10th, 2010 at 12:10 am
Great work from Apple! Dump your old customers to attract new ones… My 3G is barely usable after upgrading to IOS4. No more WiFi and the slider responds too slow to answer an incoming calls – let alone opening SMS application… Apple cannot say they are not aware of this – they just neglect their existing customers. One very good reason to never ever buy anything from Apple again – goodbye!
January 8th, 2011 at 2:32 pm
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September 11th, 2011 at 9:35 am
Bought 2, iPhone 3GS about 9 months ago. About 3 months ago, one started dropping calls. I spoke to ATT & Apple. ATT did some things to "reset the phone to the tower", so they say. Apple did nothing. The problem began getting worse. If I'm talking on the phone and get a text, the call will drop. Always shows 3 to 4 bars in signal. Called ATT 9 times since the problem started, called Apple 3 times, and ATT also did a 3 way conference call with Apple & me, twice.
Apple swears it is a software problem with ATT sim card, so ATT replaced the sim card. Did not help. ATT swears it is a hardware problem. Long story short, I have been paying over 100.00 for the past 3 months, but can't make calls longer than 20 seconds. Home button also started acting up. Sometimes you have to push it very hard several times to get any reaction. And you have to push it on the right hand side of the button or it will not work.
Apple finally gave in, because the hardware warranty is still good, and said to take it to the local Apple store for replacement, because of the home button, not because it was dropping calls. Well, Apple store in Lafayette Louisiana does not handle iPhones….hmmm there's a kick in the teeth. Apple tells me to go to THAT store, but that store is useless when it comes to phones.
So, I bring the phone back home, and called ATT again. This time to cancel the account. I have been a ping pong ball between Apple & ATT long enough.
Again, they do conference call with Apple, but now Apple wants 35.00 from me to send them the phone… why?? The phone only weighs a few ounces, I can FedEx overnight for about 15.00. I refused to pay anything. It's under warranty, and they have been shinning me on for 3 months. I told ATT that I wanted to end the conference call with Apple and proceed with canceling the contract. ATT said I had to pay a penalty for canceling early. I told them to take me to court, I refuse to pay that also, simply because I have paid over 300.00 in the last 3 months for service that I didn't get. The phone is a great iPod, but a terrible phone during the last 3 months.
So, then ATT steps up, and offers me a free phone upgrade, 3 months early. I was surprised, but interested. I refused their offer for another iPhone, simply because of Apple. I would never ever buy another iPhone. Not that they are all bad phones, but because support is non-exsistant, even with warrenty and Apple care. Apple has offered absolutely no support in the past 3 months. They have done nothing all the way through this nightmare, but blame ATT's network, which is bull. I can use the other iPhone, make a call and talk for hours, hang up, call the same person with the bad phone, and the call drops within 20 seconds. I know it's not the network. I did take ATT's offer for the HTC 4 Inspire. My total out of pocket cost for this phone was 4.06.
ATT waved all the fees and didn't ask me for anything except 4.06 which was some kind of tax that they couldn't get around.
So, be careful spending money on Apple care…. because Apple, really doesn't care!